SFS Chapter 727 Another Pattern
Chapter 727 Another Pattern
Her voice was as light as a feather falling to the ground.
In my previous life, after entering the manor, I never read a book or learned to read. I had never touched more than a few pieces of paper, let alone seen any big scenes, let alone the people or things in the palace.
Thinking that what he was holding in his hand might be a will, he felt it was a hot potato, and the clothes on his back were stuck to his skin.
After throwing the things into the hands of his cheap father, Jing Chunxi finally felt relieved.
"You guys sit down and take a break." Jing Yi didn't open the door immediately, but instead called the mother and daughter over.
Jing Chunxi sat down on the middle chair opposite her, the mahogany chair creaking slightly. Only then did she notice that on the other stool, her mother was being forced down by her stepfather, and Jing Qiurong's lips had lost their color and were slightly pale.
Jing Qiurong forced a smile at her daughter, twisting the handkerchief unconsciously with her fingers: "You are so mysterious, so mother came in to take a look out of curiosity." Then she looked at Jing Yi who was holding the small roll of paper, her eyes full of questions.
Jing Yi tore off another layer of paper, and scraps of paper fell down one after another. It looked like it was not oil paper.
"Why is it bamboo again?" Jing Chunxi exclaimed in surprise, her voice ringing out in the silence of the room. It was a long-dried bamboo, its surface covered in tiny cracks. It was half the size of the one Jing Chunxi had split, and no thicker than her fingertip. Both ends were still sealed with dark red wax.
Knowing this was the key, Jing Chunxi couldn't help but stand up again, her chair scraping harshly against the floor. She quickly walked over to the desk and stood with Jing Yi, their shadows blending into one on the wall.
When she squatted down, her skirt spread out like a flower. She pulled out the dagger from her boot with astonishing speed, and with a flash of cold light, she handed it to Jing Yi.
"Dad, split it!"
The voice was so decisive that Jing Yi couldn't help but look up at her.
This small piece of bamboo may be tender and a little brittle. When the sharp dagger chopped it down, the blade and the bamboo wall collided with each other, making a slight "crackling" sound.
One side of the bamboo tube could not withstand the force and broke in the middle. A few tiny bamboo fibers burst out from the crack, shining golden in the candlelight.
The broken bamboo pieces bounced up and down, spun a few times on the rosewood table before coming to rest, making a series of crisp "tapping" sounds.
As the bamboo tube split open, its contents were revealed in half. However, it wasn't the pure yellow they'd expected, symbolizing imperial majesty. Instead, it was a white that showed the marks of time, but over time, it had turned a warm beige, much like the color of aged rice paper after being weathered by time.
The edge of the roll of paper is slightly curled up and covered with tiny wrinkles, as if silently telling the long years it has gone through.
"It's not a will!" Jing Chunxi's voice was filled with obvious disappointment, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled downwards. Anyone could see that this scroll of paper, only a foot wide, could not be an imperial edict. It was too thin, far from the imagined imperial edict embroidered with dragon patterns and affixed with a jade seal.
Her slender fingers unconsciously twisted the corners of her clothes, creating fine wrinkles on the fine silk fabric.
Was the Emperor playing dumb with them? Jing Chunxi's brow furrowed, a fine line forming between his eyebrows. Had he anticipated his assassination? Why was passing on the throne such a hassle?
Jing Qiurong had already lit two candlesticks and placed one on each side of the desk.
Jing Chunxi's gaze unconsciously drifted to the window. The sunset outside had disappeared, and the swaying shadows of the trees in the dim light seemed to have turned into ghosts with bared fangs and claws.
The candle flame suddenly crackled and a spark burst out, which scared her so much that her shoulders trembled slightly.
"The person who knows where the edict of the emperor's succession is kept, won't be killed by that dog emperor?" Jing Chunxi suddenly thought of the massacre in the Tao Mansion, the decline of the Cui family, and those innocent officials who were killed.
Beads of cold sweat suddenly broke out on her forehead, glistening in the candlelight. Her feet began to tremble uncontrollably, and the toes of her embroidered shoes tapped lightly on the ground, making a subtle "tapping" sound.
By this time, she had already guessed that the Emperor's death must have been foreshadowed. Perhaps, because he had sensed something, these drawings were a last resort. Her nails dug deep into her palms without her realizing it, yet she felt no pain.
"You say, will it be possible..." Jing Chunxi was interrupted harshly by Jing Yi before he could finish his guess.
He was trembling slightly with excitement: "Go over there and sit quietly, don't make trouble, and don't make random guesses!" Jing Yi suddenly became extremely serious, and his voice was so low that it seemed to be squeezed out of his chest.
His hand paused, and he did not continue to unfold the rolled paper. His knuckles turned white from the force.
Jing Chunxi's heart was beating wildly, like a frightened deer fluttering in her chest. But she remained motionless, eager to see the contents of the paper immediately. Her eyes were fixed on Jing Yi's hand, unwilling to even blink, afraid to miss a single detail.
The candlelight danced in her eyes, reflecting the expectation and anxiety flickering within.
"You guys are really frustrating!" Jing Qiurong finally couldn't help but break the silence.
When she first heard the word "will," she was the most frightened, and even dropped the handkerchief in her hand. But after sitting for a long time and thinking a lot, her mind calmed down a lot.
Now, seeing the father and daughter hesitant, no one dared to reveal the answer to the mystery, she really couldn't help it.
"It's the same result anyway, what are you afraid of?" Her voice rose an octave due to her urgency, which seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet room.
She suddenly stretched out her hand to grab the roll of paper, and the jade bracelet on her slender wrist made a crisp sound due to her quick movement.
Unexpectedly, Jing Yi raised the object in his hand above his head, leaving Jing Qiurong empty-handed. Her fingertips barely brushed the edge of the paper roll, causing a slight breeze to blow a few strands of Jing Yi's hair in front of his forehead.
"I'll do it! You sit over there." Jing Yi waved his hand as if to drive someone away, but the mother and daughter stood motionless like two stone statues, one on the left and one on the right of him, forming a silent oppression.
Jing Yi sighed helplessly, his messy hair trembling slightly. He had no choice but to lower the roll of paper in his hand and carefully placed it on the table.
As he slowly spread out his hands, the paper made a subtle rustling sound. When the contents were fully presented to the three people, the room fell into a brief silence, with only the crackling of the burning candle being clearly audible.
"What on earth is the emperor doing?" Jing Yi sighed speechlessly, and saw another pattern on the paper, with fine but difficult to discern lines.
At this point, even he felt that this uncle was a strange person. He gently stroked the paper with his thick fingers, feeling the tiny bumps on it.